Asamankese Chieftaincy Clash Turns Deadly: 4 Arrested After Gunfire at Burial Rites Leaves 9 Injured
The Eastern South Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with a violent crossfire during a burial rite in Asamankese, Lower West Akyem District, that injured nine people, including six residents and three officers.
The weekend melee, rooted in a protracted chieftaincy dispute, erupted when disgruntled youth pelted stones and fired guns indiscriminately at a bereaved family attempting to inter six royals in the royal cemetery, highlighting the perilous intersection of tradition and tension in Ghana’s Akyem heartland.
The chaos unfolded on October 26 as mourners gathered for the rites, with police intervening to quell the unrest.
“The suspects were nabbed after a tip-off on armed gatherings,” said Eastern Regional Police PRO Superintendent Ebenezer Tetteh, who confirmed the seizure of a gun, 84 live AAA cartridges, seven cutlasses, and two knives from the scene.
No fatalities were reported, but the injured—suffering gunshot wounds and lacerations—are receiving treatment at Asamankese Government Hospital, with calm restored amid heightened police patrols.
The dispute centers on burial rights in the royal mausoleum, a flashpoint since 2022 when rival factions contested the Asamankese stool’s custodianship, leading to prior skirmishes that displaced 200 residents per district assembly records.
The Lower West Akyem Municipal Chief Executive condemned the “barbaric resistance,” urging the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council for mediation, while the police vowed prosecutions under the Criminal Offences Act for unlawful assembly and firearms possession.
